Photography Gear For Beginners

A DSLR Camera or Mirrorless Camera are two different types of cameras you can choose from. Most photographers start out with a DSLR, however, mirrorless cameras are becoming a popular choice too.

There are two main types of lenses to choose from. A prime lens is only able to capture one focal length so you will not be able to zoom in with it. With a telephoto lens you can zoom in and it allows you to have multiple focal lengths without having to change your lens.

At some point you may need an external flash. It’s a convenient way to brighten a scene quickly and efficiently, add contrast to an image, or fill in shadows.

Rechargeable Batteries and a Charger are handy to have around. AA batteries are used for external flash units, syncs, and remotes. The last thing you need is a piece of gear that runs run out of power. It’s always good to have extra charged batteries on hand.

A tripod is a must-have if you plan on shooting in low light situations or long exposures. They provide the stability you need to prevent camera shake and blurry photographs.

A remote shutter release allows your to take a shot without touching the camera body. It prevents the potential for camera shake and blurry images.

Camera straps are very useful plus they provide a safe way to carry your camera. There are many types of camera straps to choose from. Options include: a wrist strap, a short neck strap, longer strap that you can wear across your body, or a camera harness to carry two cameras at once.

You’ll need a camera bag to protect and store your gear in. There are a lot of different options and styles available. Most photographers own a few different types depending on what they may be shooting, and how much gear they want to lug around.

Lens filters can improve image quality, and protect your lens from damage. There are four filters every photographer should own.

A UV filter blocks ultraviolet rays, but most photographers use them to protect their lenses. A polarizing filter is used to enhance or reduce reflections, and increasing contrast between clouds and the sky. An ND filter is used to darken images, which is useful in bright conditions. It also allow so you can take long exposures during the day, and a graduated neutral density filter will prevent the sky from becoming overexposed.

You will need either a desktop or laptop computer to edit and store your photos. You also will need to decide if you prefer a PC or a Mac. Whichever you decide to go with, make sure it includes: discrete graphics card, lots of RAM and a multi-core processor.

Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Lightroom are the most popular. Both are available by subscription for about $10 a month. Other good options are: Capture One editing software offers digital photo import tools, raw camera file conversion, image adjustment, local and layer editing, and some organizational features. Skylum Luminar 4 is easy and fun to use. It’s a powerful editing tool that’s easy on the budget, and can be used as a standalone image editing tool or as a plugin with Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Lightroom.

A camera cleaning kit will keep your camera clean, and free from dirt and grime.

It’s always good to have several memory cards. There is a variety of brands available, and different storage amounts each card can hold.

A memory card storage case is a necessity. It keeps your memory cards organized and safe.

A memory card reader is a universal device that works with memory cards. Most laptops come equipped with an SD card reader.If your laptop doesn’t have one, then you will need to get an external unit.

It’s handy to have an extra camera battery charger. That way you can have multiple batteries charging at the same time.

At the very minimum you should have 2 camera batteries. Sometimes batteries lose their charge, and it’s nice to have a backup.

External Hard Drives allow you to backup your photographs to another source other than your computer. If your computer fails, your images will be lost.

Also, at some point your computer will run out of storage space. Photo files are large, and if you shoot a lot, you will require more storage.